


Reality Check

by BoschaApologist



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25887028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoschaApologist/pseuds/BoschaApologist
Summary: AU where Luz never goes to the Boiling Isles and ends up going to summer camp instead. Don’t worry, she still gets into some pretty wacky wacky situations.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 30
Kudos: 318





	1. Orientation

**Author's Note:**

> This is small AU I’ve been thinking of for a lil bit. I just hope you guys can have some fun reading it, cuz I had a lotta fun writing it.

Luz took one final look at the forest surrounding her home as she stepped onto the bus. She hoped that miraculously some magical creature would come out from the woods and jump start some magical, perilous journey, but it never happened. She stepped into the bus and heard a high pitched voice coming from the driver’s seat.   
“Goin’ to Reality Check Summer Camp?” He said.  
Luz looked down sadly and sighed “Yup.”  
“Well you better take a seat cuz I’m floorin’ it in a few, we gotta be there before noooooon.” He accentuated noon weirdly.  
Luz wasn’t sure if she really trusted the man to be behind the wheel. He had wild eyes that seemed intent on maintaining eye contact and messed up hair. Luz could have sworn she saw feathers come out of his mouth as he coughed . She decided to sit down against her better judgement. 

The bus was almost packed with kids who were about her age. As she walked down the aisle she spotted a seat that wasn’t totally full. Only one girl was sitting there, idly staring at her phone. Her dyed pink hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a yellow sweater. Luz decided that this summer she would actually make an effort to make friends.   
“Hi, I’m Luz” she mustered the courage to speak “is this seat taken?”  
The girl looked up from her phone and eyed Luz up and down. Luz noticed that she had a bandaid smack in the middle of her forehead. She felt sad and wanted to ask what happened.  
“As a matter of fact, it is.” The girl said with a sour expression “now beat it weirdo.”   
Luz suddenly didn’t seem to care what happened to the girl’s forehead. She turned away without saying another word and found a seat that was completely empty. Tons of girls had been mean to Luz before, she wondered why she even bothered trying to befriend them at this point. As the bus departed she dozed off. She wasn’t used to being up this early and she was sure this would be her only chance to sleep at this hour for the rest of the summer. 

Luz awoke as the bus hit the breaks, she looked outside and realized she didn’t recognize the town. There was a girl outside with poofy white hair and smooth dark skin, that looked very soft, who seemed to be picking on another. She seemed the fancy type. Luz supposed bullies would exist no matter where she went. As the bus door opened the bully girl made her way to the bus and left the other girl alone to stare at the ground sadly. She had fluffy dark hair and round frame glasses. Luz couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the poor girl, she knew firsthand what it was like to be picked on by prissy girls. The bully arrived and didn’t even stop to regard the driver, she strolled down the bus and sat next to the pink haired girl who squealed in excitement. Luz concluded they were friends which seemed fitting. As the girl with the round frame glasses made her way down the aisle, Luz decided to comfort her.  
“Hey,” Luz said, patting the seat next to her, “you wanna sit?”  
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before uttering a soft but enthusiastic “Sure!”  
“I’m Luz” she said “and you are?”  
“Willow!” she said.  
“I saw how that girl was picking on you” Luz said “bullies can be rough.”  
“I’m mostly used to it” Willow said.  
Luz felt sad that other girls, like Willow, had to deal with stuff like this. She noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that someone else had their sights on them. She looked up to see that another girl was staring at them with a puzzled look on her face. The girl had straight, mint green hair that stopped just before her shoulders, it was tied up in a messy bun and, just at the front, Luz could see brown roots. Luz could only imagine that she would be burning up in the summer heat with the dark clothes she had on. As the two made eye contact, the mysterious girl looked away quickly, looking a little flustered.  
“Hey” Luz said “you wanna come sit too?”  
“Yeah right” the girl said crossing her arms “as if I’d sit with Halfwit Willow.”  
With that, she sat down next to the other two mean girls, leaving Luz confused. Before she could ask Willow about it, a shorter looking boy arrived next to them carrying a big book and an even bigger backpack.  
“Hey Willow,” he said “May I sit?”   
“Of course” Willow replied before turning to Luz “i-if you don’t mind that is!”  
“Not at all” she said “the more the merrier.”  
“Cool.” he said “I’m Augustus, Willow’s friend.”  
“I’m Luz!” she said.  
Augustus put his bag on the ground and sat down. The bus took off shortly after. Luz noticed the green haired girl had been stealing glances their way a few times.  
“What’s her deal?” she said.  
“That’s Amity Blight” Willow said coldly “she’s been a thorn in my side since we were little. I try to ignore it mostly. Her and her friends all think I’m dumb.”   
“That’s so mean!” Luz said “you’re not dumb!”  
“Thanks” Willow said “I know I’m not, but it sucks that everyone else thinks I am. Truth is I get distracted easily, I’d much rather spend all day tending to my garden than studying, so my grades have been slipping. My parents were worried so they’re sending me to Reality Check as per the professor’s suggestion.”  
“Don’t let em get to ya man!” Luz said “grades don’t define your intelligence, who cares about grades when you’ve got character? Oooo maybe we can start a garden together at camp and make it a little less boring!”  
Willow chuckled “I’d like that.”  
“What about you, guy?” Luz said addressing Augustus “What’re YOU in for? Grades too?”  
“Nah, my grades are pretty dang good.” he said “I’m what you might call a troublemaker. Professors say I’m wasting my potential so they sent me here.”  
“Hey that’s pretty much what I’m going through!” she said.  
The trio spent the rest of the ride bonding and talking. Over their trip, Luz got to know a lot of cool stuff about the two. The pair had met recently but were already pretty close. Augustus was super smart and was younger than them, but he was still in the same grade as them. He got in trouble after he accidentally set part of his school on fire while performing a magic trick at a talent show. Willow had two loving dads who she seemed to love very much and she was actually pretty smart. In fact Luz found the two to be some of the most mature people she’d met. She hoped they would remain friends for the rest of the summer.

The bus arrived sometime around 11:45 a.m. The trio felt somewhat excited for the months they had all been dreading just hours before. They all felt it could be fun as long as they had each other. As all the kids stepped out of the bus, they were treated by the light and heat of the harsh sun. The campgrounds seemed like your average run of the mill camp with wooden cabins, a lake, and a bonfire towards the center. The woods were bustling with sounds; toads croaking, crickets chirping, woodpeckers pecking at wood. Luz was so busy appreciating the view, she almost didn’t notice the mass of feathers flapping towards her. She recognized later that it was an owl. Apparently it was intent on making a nest out of her hair. It stood atop her scalp and began pecking at her.  
“Ow ouch.” She said.  
“Owlbert! Leave that poor girl alone!” said a voice.   
The person sounded more interested in having the bird obey it than actually looking out for Luz’s safety. As the owl (Owlbert, she reasoned) left her head, Luz got a better look at this voice. The pet landed on the woman’s arm where she wore a special glove Luz had seen be used before for falcons. She was an older woman, maybe in her 40s Luz guessed, with a red flannel over a lavender t-shirt that read “Reality Check Summer Camp”, shorts, and hiking boots. Her hair made her look like she had just woken up, further supported by the fact that she had a tired expression, deep eye bags, and a cup of coffee on her other hand.   
“Alright kids, you know the drill!” she said “For those of you who’re new here, let’s get this over with as quickly as possible. I’m Eda and I’ll be your counselor these next 3 miserable months. When I call your name come forward and receive your shirt!”   
She began reading out cabin numbers from a list. After every cabin number she would call out two names. The two kids whose names were called out would then walk to the front and receive lavender shirts.   
“Cabin #9! Augustus and Ma- Mattholomule?” She snorted with laughter at the name.   
They both walked over and she handed them shirts. Mattholomule did not look happy at all to be there.  
“Um excuse me, miss Eda?” Augustus said.  
“Whaddya want kid?” She sounded annoyed.  
“I think this shirt is too big.” He said.  
“One size fits all” she replied “now move along kid, we ain’t got all day.”   
She kept calling out names. Willow was put in cabin #15 with a girl named Boscha. Luz realized it was the same girl with the yellow sweater from the bus earlier. She felt sorry for Willow. They both received their shirts and Luz wondered when she would be called.  
“Cabin #16!” Eda said “Amity and Luz.”  
Luz looked over at Amity to find a sour expression waiting for her. She did not seem thrilled about the news. Regardless they both walked forward to receive their shirts.  
“I like your owl.” Luz said.  
“That’s great kid” Eda said in a monotone voice.  
The counselor called out a few more names. Luz kept glancing over at her soon-to-be roommate but she wouldn’t meet her eyes. After she was done, Eda told the campers to scram which Luz assumed meant to go to their respective cabins to get settled in. And so they all did just that. She said a quick goodbye to Willow and Augustus before heading to her new cabin.

A rusty door handle awaited her and Amity as the two eyed a clear #16 written on the door. It creaked as Luz turned it. The cabin looked dusty. There were two beds on either side of the room with drawers at the foot for clothes, and at the end of the room, a door which they assumed must be the bathroom. Amity quickly set her bags down on the bed to the right and walked into the bathroom, t-shirt in hand, leaving Luz to set her stuff down on the left side. She was in the middle of opening her backpack when she heard a shriek. Frantically, the other girl ran out of the bathroom looking terrified.   
“Ugh I HATE this camp already!!” She said  
“What’s wrong?” Luz said as she stepped into the bathroom.   
She saw what she imagined must’ve been the source of the other girl’s panic. A small green snake sat in the middle of the shower.   
“Aww! A friend!” Luz said, picking up the snake.  
She walked through the cabin and opened the front door. She then placed the snake on the floor and it slithered away.   
“You don’t have to worry!” She said to Amity “they’re totally harmless.”   
The other girl simply turned around without even uttering a thank you and started putting her clothes into the drawers. Luz felt frustrated but decided to do the same. After a few minutes of silent unpacking Luz heard a sniffle. She turned around and saw Amity hanging her head low.  
“Are you… crying?” Luz said.   
“N-No!” Amity didn’t sound very convincing.  
“It was just a snake” Luz said softly “it’ll be alright, it’s gone now.”  
“It’s not about that!” Amity said.  
“Then what?” Luz said.  
“It’s none of your business!” she raised her voice slightly at Luz “let’s just finish unpacking. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can get out of this dusty old cabin.”   
Luz didn’t argue any further. 

Amity left soon after having finished her unpacking, leaving Luz alone to sweep the floor of the cabin. She also lightly dusted the place. After she was done, she left to see if she could find Willow and Augustus, maybe grab some lunch too. She found them at the dining hall so they must’ve had the same idea as her.   
“Hey Luz” they said in unison.  
“Hey Willow! Hey Gus!” she said.  
“Gus…” he said considering the nickname “I like it!”  
“How are you guys handling your roommates” Luz said.  
“Ugh Boscha is the worst” Willow said “she won’t even address me unless it's to insult me.”  
“That’s awful,” Luz said “Amity is being really cold. I did so much for our little cabin and she never even thanked me.”  
“I wouldn’t even bother with her,” Willow said angrily “she and I used to be friends and now she acts like we never even knew each other. Don’t trust her Luz.”  
Luz was stunned at the idea of Willow and Amity being friends, but she had heard weirder things. Luz knew she should probably heed Willow’s warning but she kept thinking of the way Amity had started crying softly. She wondered what could have upset the girl.   
“My roommate and I haven’t talked much” Gus added “but I wanted to tell you guys, I think there’s something weird about this camp.”  
“Yeah, it’s a little weird that an adult could have so much spite that they would make an entire camp just to help teens ‘act normal’.” Luz said.  
“No, sadly, that’s perfectly ordinary” Gus said “but I keep hearing strange noises coming from the woods, and I swear I saw something moving in the lake, something...big...too big.”  
“Oh Gus, c’mon you’re always like this” Willow said, before turning to Luz “he’s the president of a paranormal club at school.”  
“It’s cool” Gus said “you don’t have to believe me, but I guarantee weirder stuff will happen this summer.”  
“Oooo” Luz added excitedly “keep me updated on if you see anything weird and I’ll do the same, okay?”   
She had always been curious about the more mysterious elements of the world and her excitement seemed to resonate with Gus. The two shared a nod and a high five before they began eating their meals. While they ate, they heard a buzz come from a PA system .   
“Attention all campers!” a voice said “meet by the bonfire at 7:00 pm sharp so we may begin the orientation!”  
Luz and co. spent the rest of the day playing some sports and getting to know each other a bit better. They explored the camp to get familiar with it but didn’t seem to find much out of the ordinary. Just a regular old camp. They decided to steer clear of the woods for the moment but promised Gus they’d check it out tomorrow. After eating dinner, they headed to the orientation.

The bonfire had not yet been lit and the sun was starting to set which meant a lot of kids were on their phones. Everyone sat in benches surrounding the spot where kindle lay to be lit momentarily. Luz had to admit she was getting used to the idea of spending three months here. She could see herself roasting marshmallows by the fire with Willow and Gus who she was pretty comfortable with at this point. The camp counselor, Eda, sat near the trio. She held a glass in hand with an orange liquid in it which Luz assumed had to be alcohol.   
“Should you be drinking that?” she said.  
“Y’know? You’re awfully annoying” Eda replied causing Luz to pout.  
A small dark hound made its way to Eda’s lap and atop its head, it wore a strange skull. Luz was puzzled by this, but her need to pet cute animals could not be kept at bay.  
“Aww he’s so cute!!” Luz said “strange, but cute!! I wish I could buy like ten of him!”  
“You couldn’t afford me, sister!” a voice spoke and it seemed to come from the dog.   
A billion thoughts raced through Luz’s mind: did that dog just talk? It was hard to tell because it didn’t look like he was moving his mouth? Maybe I’m imagining things?? Did anyone else hear it? Am I going CRAZY!?!? Before Luz could bring it up to Gus, an old man approached the spot at the center.   
“Good evening everyone” he said “I am headmaster Bump, welcome to Reality Check Summer Camp, where we strive to test the boundaries of reality! Newcomers I welcome you… to three months of enchanting weirdness!”   
He brought out a big notebook, opened it, and tapped the page. Fire sprung from the book and lit the bonfire. Luz looked in awe, not being able to make sense of what had just happened. A few people screamed. At that point, someone stood up, Luz glanced over and noticed it was Amity.  
“Just what is this!?” she demanded sounding outraged, but Luz heard some fear in her voice too “I thought this was a camp for refinement? How did you even do that!? What are you, a stage magician or something!?”  
“Oh dear” the headmaster said “do me a favor, campers, stand up if you’re new here.”   
A large sum of kids stood up.  
“Now stay up if you think this is a camp for refinement where we’ll learn stuff like taxes and what not. The rest of you may sit.”  
Most kids sat down. Among the few left standing there was Luz, Willow, Gus, Amity, the two bully girls from the bus and about five other kids. Headmaster Bump seemed frustrated at this.   
“Always a few” he muttered “Edalyn, would you please give them a separate orientation?”  
“Ugh,” she said “do I have to?”  
“I’m afraid so” he said.  
Eda stood and cracked her back “c’mon you crazy kids.”   
The ten or so teens followed Eda and her pet dog to a building that Luz assumed was her quarters. Luz was very puzzled, she looked around and found that everyone else looked just as confused and nervous as her. The group reached the door which had the face of an owl carved in the center. The door seemed stuck, it took a few good kicks before Eda could get it to open.  
“Really gotta fix that.” She said as the group walked in.  
She tapped the side of her pants and all the lights in the room lit up, revealing a very messy room with a couch in the middle. As the kids looked to Eda with anticipation, she turned to address them.   
“Alright let’s rip the bandaid” she said “Magic is real. You’re all in a secret camp that teaches young teens how to become witches and wizards. We use the whole ‘Reality Check’ thing as a front. We thought if we made it sound boring enough, no parent in their right mind would send their kids here, unless they wanted to torture them. And yet every year, a few of you slip in by accident, much to my annoyance. Any questions?”   
Dead silence filled the air. Not a single sound could be heard. Not a single reaction from any of the kids, except one Luz Noceda, who began to shriek in excitement.   
“Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod!!!!!!!” she exclaimed “this is a dream come true!!! I can learn magic!? I can learn to be a witch!? Like Azura!?”  
“Who?” Eda said “I guess it doesn’t really matter, but yeah, the answer is yes kid.”   
“Hold on just a second.” Amity spoke up “You don’t SERIOUSLY expect us to believe any of what you’re saying is true, do you?”  
Eda cleared her throat as she looked at Amity with little amusement “Oh Kiiiiiing! I think you’re looking adorable tonight. Like a tiny baby.”   
“Who you callin adorable? I’m the scourge of these lands!!” her dog spoke with fury in his voice. Luz absolutely had no doubt in her mind this time that the voice was coming from him.  
Eda then performed a quick fire spell for extra proof.  
“This is insane!” Amity said “it just can’t be, it’s impossible! It’s-“  
“The COOLEST thing ever!!!” Luz and Gus both spoke unison, interrupting her.  
“B-b-b-b-but…” Amity stuttered sounding like she wanted to argue.  
“Listen kids.” Eda said “You’ve all got two options. You can stay here and learn real magic while we also teach you how to pretend that you’ve been getting less insane for your parents. Alternatively, you could get on the bus right now and go home. So, what’s it gonna be?”   
“This is the best day of my life!” Luz said getting closer to Eda “I wanna learn magic!”  
“Back off kid” Eda said, pushing her back “Personal Space.”  
Everyone took a few seconds to process it but they all agreed eventually. Excitement filled the room where fear once persevered. Everyone seemed enthusiastic and amazed, except Amity.  
“So” Eda said addressing her “What are gonna choose?”  
Amity hesitated before admitting defeat and replying with a quick and soft “Okay. I’ll stay.”

After the reveal, Eda informed the kids that they’d be starting their lessons early in the morning. She suggested they all get some rest, but it was pretty hard to rest when you just learned that magic was real. Gus and Luz felt incredibly validated and spent a good hour or two discussing the events with Willow, all three of them incredibly excited for tomorrow. After some time they all decided they’d better get some rest. They said their goodbyes and each headed to their individual cabins. Luz opened the door to find that Amity was already prepared for bed. She didn’t look as mad as usual, instead she looked...worried?  
“Hey, are you okay?” Luz spoke softly “it’s been a long day huh? But y’know? I’m really excited for tomorrow! Aren’t you?”  
Amity glared at her but Luz could tell her heart wasn’t in it.   
“Listen here” Amity spoke in a tired voice “I get it, we’re gonna be roommates and you don’t want it to feel awkward. I have no problem with you, but let me be clear. You are not my friend, and you probably never will be. So stay out of my business, I’ll stay out of yours, and we can get through this summer just fine, okay?”   
Luz didn’t get to respond before Amity laid down and wrapped herself up in her blanket, facing the wall away from her. Luz decided, right then and there, that her and Amity would be friends by the end of the summer. She wondered what Amity had done for her parents to send her here in the first place, but she knew better than to pry. She changed into her PJs and got ready for bed as quietly as she could. Before falling asleep, she put her phone to charge and saw that she had a message from her mother.   
“How’s summer camp?” it read.  
“I think I’m gonna like it here” she replied quickly before putting her phone down.  
She looked over at Amity who was peacefully asleep.   
“Goodnight” she said before closing her eyes for the night.


	2. Thank You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter was formatted a bit weirdly so I tried fixing it for this one!

Luz picked at her bandaids, afraid they would come off due to the humidity. It was a blazing hot summer day and she was holding a cold glass of lemonade. She sat on a log as she watched her new best friend cast a spell that magically summoned a small field of sunflowers. You know, average teen stuff. 

“Wow Willow, that was amazing!!” Luz said, enthusiastic as always.

“Yeah” Gus, who was sitting in the spot next to her, added “I’ll bet you’re the quickest learning prodigy in the history of the plant tome.”

“Aww shucks. Thanks, you guys!” said Willow “I’ll bet you’ve set a record for the illusion tome, Gus.”

Gus acted pretty humble toward the situation, but his skills truly were impressive. An uncomfortable silence befell the trio, and Luz knew why. Her friends were dying to ask her the question they asked her at least once a day: ‘have you decided yet?’ 

It had been one week since camp started. New students had been studying in the general lessons and trying to get a feel for all of the 9 tomes. Although their lessons featured magic from all 9 of them, by the end of this week they were all supposed to decide which one they wanted to focus on. Better to concentrate all your efforts into one specific form of magic, or so headmaster Bump had said. Almost everyone had already made their decisions. Luz was one of the only few who still hadn’t, and her time was running out. 

“I know what you’re thinking guys” Luz broke the silence “but I just can’t seem to choose, they’re all so cool!”

“It’s gonna be a lot harder if you don’t” Willow warned sincerely. “Just roll a dice or something.” 

Luz was thinking of something real intelligent to say but she was easily distracted. Her eyes darted as she spotted her roommate walking by. Amity was reading from a pink book as her big goopy minion walked behind her. She was quickly becoming a star pupil of the abomination tome due to her tireless work. A few times, Luz had woken up in the middle of the night to find Amity studying, it didn’t seem very healthy. Luz had been meaning to talk to Amity about it, or anything for that matter, but the two weren’t exactly best buddies. Without hesitation, Luz stood to seize her opportunity and head towards Amity.

“Heya roomieWOOOOOO” Luz was rudely interrupted by gravity. She must’ve been sitting for a while, because her legs had fallen asleep causing her to trip. She found herself face first on the floor, and once she got up, she saw that her lemonade had spilt all over Amity. 

“What the hell!?” Amity said, embarrassed and appalled.

“I-it was just an accident!” Luz said.

Amity snapped her fingers commanding her abomination. It walked over to the beautiful field of sunflowers and crushed several of them under its foot. 

“Hey!” Willow shouted in anger.

“That was an accident too.” Amity said looking smugly at Willow. 

“What is your problem!?” Luz snapped. She didn’t like being rude but she felt she had to stand up for Willow. “This whole week, I’ve been trying to be nice and you always treat us like dirt! You’re such a spoiled brat!” 

“What did you say!?” Amity looked offended.

“Guys guys” Gus came between the two girls trying to break up the fight. “Let’s just calm down for a second.” 

At that moment, the loudspeaker activated. Headmaster Bump’s voice boomed throughout the camp. “Good morning campers, we have some exciting news! Tonight we will be hosting a small competition! Meet in front of the forest at 8pm to participate. Be ready to fight your fellow campers! That is all.” 

Amity’s gaze fell back to Luz. “We’ll settle this tonight. I’ll prove you’re a loser without any talent.” She said. “You better get ready, because I’m gonna crush you.” 

“We’ll see about that.” Luz replied. 

Amity walked off, leaving the trio to their own devices. Willow and Gus looked at Luz like they could already see a coffin being built in her size.

“I’m screwed aren’t I?” She said.

Willow looked at her with pity. “Yup.” 

•••

A cacophony of sounds could be heard coming from the door. Some would call this ‘knocking’. Eda begrudgingly got up to answer it, only to find the one and only Luz.

“What is it this time?” Eda sighed. 

“You have to train me!” Luz proclaimed with desperation. She entered the room and sat herself on the couch. As she did so, King made his bed on her lap.

“Yeesh, he’s getting comfortable with you” Eda groaned “You can’t keep coming over here whenever you’re in trouble. I need my beauty sleep. And about your previous question, the answer is a big ol nope.”

“But Eda” Luz protested “you’re the only one who can help me. You and Bump are the only people in this camp that have mastered all 9 tomes! And I’m not asking Bump, he’s too busy!” 

“Oh? And I’m not?” said Eda as she worked on a sculpture composed of empty soda cans. 

“It sure doesn’t look like it” Luz was not impressed.

“Listen kid, studying all 9 tomes is extremely difficult” Eda explained “I wouldn’t recommend it for someone like you, no offense.”

Luz looked at the ground in defeat, petting King for comfort, much to his delight. “Now I’ll never beat Amity. She’s right, I don’t have any talent. She’s gonna wipe the floor with me tonight.”

Eda paused for a moment, looking at the wall. After a second of consideration, she spoke. “Alright, listen here, I’ll teach you 3 spells for tonight, but it won’t be easy.” 

Luz squealed with excitement. “Eda, I won’t let you down!!”

“Relax kid,” Eda said “I’m only teaching you this so I can spice up your fight. No better entertainment than watching two kids trying to kill each other! Now let’s get to work!”

•••

Humans can't make magic out of thin air, or so Bump told the campers. Because of this everyone had to learn how to precisely draw glyphs. It was tough work, but it was definitely rewarding. The more accurately you drew a glyph, the better the spell would come out. Everyone at camp kept a small booklet on their belt to draw glyphs on, but that night, everyone’s booklets were in their hands. About 50 nervous teens were all scribbling away at their notebooks, drawing last minute spells to be used as they faced the entrance of the woods. It was currently 7:55 pm and Willow and Gus were starting to get nervous at the absence of their friend.

“Hey Dorkwads,” Boscha said, standing nearby “Where’s your friend? She too chicken to show up?” 

“She’s just running late, Boscha” Willow replied in annoyance “besides, I could be asking you the same thing.” 

“Ugh, beats me” Boscha said “Amity’s been M.I.A. all day today. She said she’s getting ready for ‘something important’ or whatever.”

“Jeez, those two are making it sound like we’re entering a war” Gus added “I mean I’m sure Bump would step in if we got too violent, right?”

“Good news Campers!” Bump spoke up “We’ve got some great healers with us tonight, so maiming isn’t completely off the table! Even if I must discourage it, legally speaking.”

Just then Luz came running into the group of campers. She looked completely drained. 

“Luz!” Willow said “you okay? You don’t look so good.” 

“Oh I’m peachy” Luz said “what’d I miss?”

“Not much” said Gus “Maiming isn’t encouraged but it’s tolerated.”

“Alright Campers, who here wants the ability to fly?” Bump asked, sparking excitement in the crowd. The teens began to talk amongst each other hopeful that they might get the amazing ability. “Well luckily for all of you, I’ve got just the magical item you desire! Somewhere in this dark, eerie forest, I’ve hidden a pair of boots that will grant you flight! If you retrieve them and bring them to me, I’ll let you keep them. But be careful, you’ll have to fight any beast you may find in there, as well as your fellow campers for them. After all there’s only one pair! The competition begins in 2 minutes.”

As the kids all began to prepare themselves, Luz noticed Amity had arrived. She looked anxious and tired. The thought of making a joke about Amity’s look, which was usually picture perfect, crossed her mind, but Luz only felt pity for the girl. She wanted Amity to be alright, to make sure she slept well tonight, unlike all those other times. She hoped she wasn’t pushing herself too hard.

An abrupt shove on the shoulder brought Luz back to reality. It was Eda. “Good luck out there kiddo. You best annihilate those brats or else it’ll look like I’m a bad teacher.”

Bump blew into a horn and the competition began. Quickly, campers began running into the woods. Luz, Willow, and Gus decided to work together, they figured whoever won could let the other two borrow the boots a few times a week. As they pressed forward, moths began to cling to the light spell that Luz had drawn. Diving further into the forest, the trio soon realized their journey would not be easy. A grizzly bear stood in front of them, only this one seemed to be 10 feet tall. The grizzly stood revealing its height to actually be more like 20 feet, it was huge. 

Willow quickly flipped to a page in her notebook and tapped it. With an intense green glow, roots began to sprout at the legs of the bear, trapping it. Before Willow or Gus could go on the offensive, Luz slid one of her glyphs in the general direction of the beast. With a cool blue glow, a pillar of ice materialized and rose hitting the bear right on its jaw. The bear was knocked out cold. Her training had paid off.

“Woah Luz” Willow said “that was some quick thinking!”

“Aww thank you Willow!” Luz was touched, she rarely received compliments. “We should keep going though, never know when he’ll wake up.”

Before the three kept running, Luz put a bandaid on the bear’s chin and left a note that read ‘I’m Sorry :•(‘. They began to sprint again, paying close attention to the landscape, trying to find the boots. They pressed on for a couple of minutes until they were interrupted. They heard the sound of glass shattering nearby, and a thick cloud of fog began to surround them. The fog thickened until they could barely see a thing. 

“Well well well, if it ain’t half wit Willow and her freaky friends.'' The trio recognized Boscha’s voice all too well. She stepped closer, revealing she had a belt full of colorful vials and elixirs at her waist. “I know you think you’re all hot now with your cool new plant powers, but I’m here to knock you down a peg.” 

Suddenly they were surrounded by Boscha and her friends. Willow didn’t even bother retorting before she started making plants sprout all over the place. It wasn’t long before a full on melee had begun between all the teens. With Willow attacking, everyone was distracted, allowing Gus to pull Luz aside. 

Gus tapped a page in his booklet and created a clone of Luz. “Go” he whispered “find those boots while we keep Boscha and her goons busy.” 

She didn’t argue. She trusted her friends to fend for themselves. She hoped she’d made the right choice in continuing alone. Luz searched the woods for about ten minutes. She wondered if maybe someone had already gotten to the boots, but looking above the trees, she could see Eda flying on a staff. She figured her counselor would tell her if the game was over, but then again Eda was never the most reliable mentor. She stopped by a clearing and found a pair of boots with wings on them laying on a tree stump, completely untouched. She had succeeded, her friends’ risk had paid off. However, as she stepped closer, two other figures entered the clearing. It was Amity and her abomination. 

Luz knew, in her mind, that this was a competition and that she shouldn’t hesitate to use her magic on Amity. But in her heart? Luz felt too sorry for the girl to attack her. She had deep shadows under her eyes, ruffled hair, and scratched up clothes. Luz let her guard down, which she would later come to regret. Amity didn’t stop to think before she attacked, sending a pink fireball her way. Thinking quickly, she used one of her new glyphs and summoned a wall from the earth beneath her feet. The wall managed to block the fireball but her opponent would not quit so easily. 

“Abomination, attack!” Amity said. 

Her minion rushed at Luz, breaking down the wall made of earth. Luz was sent tumbling back, but she was mostly unscathed. She severed a page from her notebook and threw it near the abomination. A pillar of solid ice formed under it, knocking it into the air. It came crashing down and landed with a big thud. Amity hurried over to it, placing a glyph on its forehead and the abomination grew bigger. 

Luz was starting to get tired, as she usually did when she used too much magic. She decided she would try to end this quickly. She took out one of the new glyphs Eda has taught her, it was a fire spell. She blasted the abomination with it, which barely made a mark, but it caused it to stumble backwards. She slid a second glyph behind its feet which created a smaller wall of earth. The abomination tripped and fell straight onto the pillar of ice, causing the ice to explode into a dozen chunks and knocking it out. 

“YESSS!!” Luz exclaimed as she raced towards the boots. But when she arrived at the stump, she found that they were missing. In the distance, Amity grunted in pain. Luz looked over to see what was wrong. A chunk from the ice had fallen on Amity’s leg and it wasn’t looking too good. She ran over to the girl to examine the injury. It looked broken. Even if it wasn’t, she definitely wouldn’t be able to walk back to camp.

Eda flew overhead and announced that the game had come to an end. The two girls looked at each other in defeat. They’d been so distracted fighting each other, they hadn’t even noticed someone else taking the boots. Luz scooped up Amity and headed back to camp.

“Let me go!!” Amity said punching Luz weakly in the back. 

“You can’t walk.” Luz said, exhausted.

“I’ll get my abomination to carry me!” Amity retorted.

“This is my fault!” Luz snapped “Why won’t you just let me help you!?”

Amity looked embarrassed, guilty even, she didn’t protest the rest of the way. The went the rest of the way without sharing another word.

•••

They arrived at the spot where the other campers were gathered. Luz handed Amity over to the healers and they promised they’d get her fixed up in no time. Gus and Willow came bounding over. 

“Guess what we got?” Gus said in excitement as he pulled out the magic boots.

“We won!” Willow exclaimed.

The three celebrated with a group hug, but Luz didn’t feel like much of a winner. 

“Attagirl Luz!” Eda said as she came over. “I knew you had it in ya! I talked to Bump and he said you could study all 9 tomes, but you’re gonna have take extra lessons with me.”

“That’s great!” Said Luz. She’d gotten everything she wanted that night. 

“By the way, I saw what you did down there.” Eda continued “You put that kid in her place, good on you!”

“Yippee” Luz said but there was no enthusiasm in her voice.

After the exchange, Gus and Willow took turns using the boots. In the distance Boscha was fuming. Luz watched them, happy at how much fun they were having, but she was distracted by her thoughts. When they offered her a turn she said she’d rather do it tomorrow, she was too tired. She walked back to her cabin. When she arrived, she saw that her roommate was already in bed. Amity was facing the wall, a cast on her leg. Luz took a shower, put on her comfy clothes and went to bed. She said goodnight before closing her eyes, like she had every day this past week, and just like every other day, she didn’t get a response.

•••

Luz had a nightmare that night that felt too real. The kind that seems silly when explained later, but feels like life or death in the moment. She woke up with a jump and saw that Amity was also awake. Looking at nothing in particular, doing nothing in particular, she was just awake. Luz checked her phone, it was 2:00 am. 

“You’re awake?” Said Luz.

Amity was startled by the voice. “ N-no” she said nervously.

“Amity, I can see you’re awake.” Luz stated. 

“Pfffft pfffffffffffft” Amity looked like she was trying to come up with a good excuse. “Okay yes I’m awake.”

“Wait, Amity, do you get insomnia?” Luz realized. Maybe she wasn’t staying awake to study, maybe she studied at night because she just couldn’t sleep. 

“A little.” Amity said.

Luz got up and ruffled around in her bag for a bit. She found her booklet filled with glyphs. She flipped through the notebook and ripped a page from it. 

“Here you go” she said, handing the page over to Amity.

The other girl accepted the page and looked at it with a puzzled expression. She didn’t recognize the glyph. “What is it?” she said.

“It’s a sleep spell.” Luz said “Eda taught it to me today, but I didn’t really get much time to practice it. I’m not gonna use it on you, that would be creepy. But if you wanna try it out on yourself, I guess it’s worth a shot.” 

Amity stared at the glyph in her hands. “Thank you Luz.” she said.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever used my name.” Luz shouted, beaming with joy.

“Th-this doesn’t change anything.” Amity said blushing. “I’m still mad! I’m gonna beat you next time!”

“Okiedokie!” Luz said, crawling back to bed. 

Maybe she should’ve been upset, but Luz felt happy as she drifted off to sleep that night. Despite their skirmish, the idea of her and Amity becoming friends didn’t seem as far fetched as before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The third chapter might come out a bit sooner this time cuz I’m having a blast writing it. Hope you guys enjoyed this one!


	3. What can I do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write, even if it is a little shorter. Also I forgot to put it in the chapter but uhhhhh Amity’s leg is healed now.

“So.” Bump said, breaking the silence. “Do you know why I called you here today?” 

“Ummm is it because we’re your two favorite campers?” Luz said with a smile. 

“No.” Bump said in a deadpan tone.

“If this is about the canoe race today,” Amity said “I just wanna say it was all her fault.”

“Yes, this is about the canoe race.” Bump said “It’s also about the cursed water balloon fight, and the hunt for the flying boots last week. Time and time again, the two of you keep getting in each other’s way.”

“She’s the one that won't stop pestering me!” Amity protested.

“Well you’re the one that keeps being rude when I approach you!” Luz said. “We wouldn’t even be in this mess if you stopped thinking I’m trying to challenge you every time we speak!”

“In any case, seeing as the two of you are roommates, it would be in your best interest to get along.” Bump continued. “I called the two of you here to let you know that tomorrow we will be holding another camp challenge. This one is gonna be in pairs, and you two are going to be teaming together.”

“What!?” Amity shouted in protest. “That’s no fair! She’s just gonna drag me down!”

“Miss Blight, please understand, if one of you fails, the other will not be punished.” Bump said. “However, there are more benefits to forming a strong team. I’m not forcing the two of you to be friends, but I’d like to at least go one day without having to break up a fight between the two of you. That is all. You are dismissed.”

Luz looked at Amity with a nervous smile, while the other girl frowned unapologetically. 

•••

The walk back to the cabin was relatively silent, save for the sound of frogs croaking in the distance. 

“Well then partner.” Luz broke the silence once they got to their room. “How’s about you and I start strategizing for tomorrow?”

“How about we make a rule of silence?” Amity pinched the bridge of her nose. “We don’t have to be friends, Bump said it himself. Let’s just not try and kill each other tomorrow. The more quietly we get it done, the more likely Bump is to just drop this subject and we can just go back to not talking to each other.”

“I… don’t want that though.” Luz said looking sadly at the wrinkles in her bed sheets.

“Why are you so persistent? I’m not usually nice to people? Why do you wanna be my friend so bad?” Amity said angrily.

“Jeez I don’t know!” Luz said “Maybe I just wanna get along with the person I gotta sleep next to all summer! You don’t have to be so… so… insufferable!”

“I’m insufferable!?” Amity said outraged. “Whatever!” 

Amity power walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Luz heard the shower turning on. She had almost forgotten she should shower too, since Amity and her had fallen in the canoe lake earlier that day. Luz stared up at the ceiling. Although Amity was the one to start the fighting earlier, she still felt a pang of guilt. She texted her mom as she waited for the other girl to be done. Amity stepped out of the bathroom. 

“Hey, I’m really sorry I called you insufferable.” Luz said. “I shouldn’t have. It’s not like me. I’m sorry.”

Amity sighed. She didn’t seem up for a fight anymore. “It’s okay.” She said simply in a defeated tone. “I need to rest for tomorrow.” 

Amity went to bed soon after. Luz proceeded to take a shower and do the same. She said goodnight as she turned off the lamp and fell asleep.

•••

The two decided to have breakfast together the next morning.

“Ugh these eggs are bland.” Amity said.

“I gotcha!” Luz said as she enthusiastically poured too much salt on Amity’s eggs.

“Luz!” She shouted. “Are you trying to destroy my cholesterol!? I can’t be your teammate if I eat this, I’d have to get rushed to the ER!”

“Ah I’m sorry, it was an accident! Here let me help.” Luz said as she frantically began blowing the salt out of the eggs.

“LUZ I'M NOT GOING TO EAT THAT NOW!” Amity protested “You spat all over it!”

“Ah I’m sorry!” Luz said. “Here, have mine!”

“Please just stop.” Amity put her face in her hands.

Breakfast was a failed mission but that didn’t stop Luz from following Amity around all day. She tried her best to help in whatever ways she could, much to Amity’s dismay. By around lunch time, it became clear that Amity was getting pretty annoyed and she needed some time to herself. She declined when Luz asked to have lunch with her, leaving Luz to eat with Willow and Gus.

“So… no luck yet?” Gus said.

“I’m trying so hard, but I feel like I always mess up somehow.” Luz sighed poking at her food.

“Look Luz, I don’t wanna sound mean, but…” Willow said. “Don’t you think you’re trying TOO hard? I mean I admire that about you, but Amity isn’t worth the effort. If you ask me? You’re better off without her.”

Luz felt bothered by the way Willow spoke. Willow was so nice, hearing her badmouth someone felt wrong. It must’ve shown on Luz’s face.

“Sorry, I know it’s mean.” Willow said “I just don’t want you to waste your time Luz. You deserve the best.”

Luz gave her friends a sincere look of joy. She stood up and wrapped them both in a hug. “I’ve already got the best.” 

After she had finished eating, Luz returned to the cabin. The camp challenge would begin shortly and Luz wanted to leave her phone somewhere safe.   
Once she left her phone charging, she turned to leave, but she stopped when she noticed a book on Amity’s bed. Her curiosity got the best of her and she went over for a closer look. Good Witch Azura Volume 4, perfect condition too. Luz couldn’t believe what she was saying. It was so hard to picture Amity reading a book like this, but that didn’t stop her from trying. As she departed for the challenge, she felt hopeful. 

•••

“Alright campers, listen closely.” Bump said “You’ll be working in teams today. I have released a ferocious beast in the forest. It has the power to turn into your worst fear.” Behind Bump stood Eda. She had a giant kennel beside her and a smug look of anticipation on her face. “Defeat the monster and you’ll win a prize. You’ll get points based on how long you can go without quitting. Good luck, you’ll need it.”

Absolutely nobody looked excited, but at least they knew this would be the last big challenge for a little bit. Amity approached Luz.

“Ok, what’s important is that we work efficiently.” She said. “Always be on your toes Luz, Do NOT get distracted.” 

“You don’t have to worry about me, roomie.” Luz said as she sprinkled confetti in the air. “I’m gonna blow that beast away.”

“Please tell me you brought your spell book and not just confetti.” Amity said.

“Boop” Luz said, pulling out her booklet.

“AND GO!!” Shouted Bump.

The kids all made their way into the forest hastily. The groups began to split up, leaving Luz and Amity alone. The pair stopped at a clearing where Amity began drawing a giant glyph on the floor. Luz decided to take this moment as an opportunity.

“Sooooo, you like Azura?” She said.

“You saw my book!?” Said Amity, stopping what she was doing.

“You left it out in the open!” Luz said.

“Ugh, I’m so dumb. Um I was just uhhhhhhhhhhh holding it for a friend.” Amity said.

“What friend?” Luz said.

“Ugh fine, it’s mine, you happy now?” Amity said.

“Hey, don’t worry! I like those books too! They’re my favorites!” Luz said.

Amity hesitated before she resumed drawing the circle. “Cool, well it’s not like it’s important right now. So uhhh get your head in the game.” 

An abomination rose from the dirt where the circle had been drawn. Luz felt frustrated. She was trying to get some small talk rolling but Amity was purposefully shutting herself off. She wanted to find out why. Before she could press further, a dark form appeared from the trees. 

“That must be it!” Amity said. “Abomination attack!” 

The abomination charged at the beast, hands raised high, ready to swing. The abomination landed a hit, sending the beast away. But as the beast got up, it’s form changed. It split into two smaller figures, a man and a woman who Luz didn’t recognize. 

“Abomination, stop!!!” Amity shouted in terror.

“Amity? What are you doing with this horrid beast? Were you about to command it to crush us?” The man said. Luz didn’t know the beast could talk, but apparently it could.

“No, I-“ Amity stuttered. 

“Of course she was dear!” The woman said. “What else would you expect from her? She’s a freak, she’d even attack her own parents!”

“No, I wouldn’t!” Amity was choking up. “I-I would never harm my parents!” 

“Oh? Wouldn’t you?” The dad said. “I think you already have.”

Luz rushed forward to Amity, grabbing her in her arms. She ran as fast as she could toward the dense trees, leaving the beast in the distance. Amity’s abomination followed behind them. 

“Let me go!” Amity had tears in her eyes.

“It was just an illusion, Amity. We need to go and find our bearings.” Luz replied.

The two stopped at a spot that seemed pretty safe. Luz put the other girl down, and she began to cry. Luz decided not to interfere for a bit. After about five minutes, the crying had subsided. Amity sat still, looking as if she wanted to disappear. Her face was buried in her hands still.

“Hey” Luz said softly, extending her arms. “Do you, uh, want a hug? You look like you could use one.” 

Much to her surprise, the other girl actually accepted the invitation. The two held each other softly but sternly. Luz could feel how fast Amity’s heart was beating. She had stopped crying, but it was clear she still needed a minute to calm down. It was weird to think about, but Luz had never noticed how slender the girl was, or how soft her skin felt. They separated.

“We’re they your parents?” Luz asked.

“Yeah, I haven’t talked to them since I got here.” Amity said.

“I haven’t told my mom the truth about this camp yet.” Luz said. “I can’t say I know what you've been through, but I know parents can be a tough subject to deal with. If you ever want to talk about what you’re going through, I’m here.”

“Thank you Luz.” Amity said. “I appreciate the thought, but this is something I have to deal with alone. No matter how difficult it may be. Now let’s get back to the mission at hand.”

“Amity, if you’re going through a rough situation, it’s best to rely on friends. There’s no shame in asking for help.” Luz said.

“WE ARE NOT FRIENDS.” Amity said. She then began to walk away to her Abomination. She needed to make sure no damage had come to it. Before she could reach her minion, she heard a sniffle. 

“What can I do?” Luz said weakly.

Amity turned around to see that Luz was looking down at the ground, tears in her eyes. “Luz?”

“What can I do to make you like me?” Luz was crying. The image seemed wrong to Amity.

“Luz-“ she said but was interrupted.

The beast from earlier had followed them and it grabbed onto Luz. It began to flee.

“Luz!!” Amity commanded her abomination. It grabbed onto Amity and began running towards the beast. The two creatures were involved in a high speeds chase for a few minutes. After some time, Amity realized they had no hope of catching up to the creature, and she didn’t want to think about what it would do if it got away. Thinking quickly, she pulled a page out of her journal and tapped it. A flaming orb of pink fire sprung out of the page and hit the beast. It staggered and fell, dropping Luz in the process. Amity and her abomination walk towards the beast. As they towered over it, it’s form began to change into that of Amity’s mother.

“You wouldn’t kill your mother would you?” The beast said.

“You are not my mother.” Amity replied. “And for that matter, you’re not even that scary. You just change into things that are, you’re pathetic.”

Her abomination swung its arms downward like a hammer, and the beast was made into mush. Amity didn’t know if it was dead but it didn’t matter. She rushed over to Luz and helped her up.

“Hey, you didn’t have to do that.” Luz said.

“You would’ve done the same for me.” Amity said with a smile.

•••

“Congratulations Luz!” Willow said. “You won!”

“Thanks, but it was really Amity who took care of the monster.” Luz said.

“So any luck in trying to work out your differences.” Gus said.

“Not really, she just seems too closed off” Luz said. “I want to have a good relationship with her, I have to see her every day after all. But I guess it’s her choice. Maybe it’s time to let it go.”

“At least you can say you tried.” Gus said, putting his hand on Luz’s shoulder. 

“You’ve got a heart of gold” said Willow. “It’s not your fault.” 

“Thanks Willow.” She said, hugging her best friend. “I should probably head to my cabin now, I hear there’s a bonfire tonight, I wanna freshen up for it.” 

•••

Luz didn’t see Amity back home, she figured she’d be collecting whatever prize Bump decided to give her. She took a shower, put on fresh clothes, and headed to the bonfire. 

Campers gathered around the fire with marshmallows at the end of their rods. Everybody seemed to be having a pretty good time. It was a much needed break from the constant challenges that were being thrown their way. Some campers were making s’mores. Some also had mugs that seemed to have hot chocolate in them. 

“Hot chocolate? In the summer?” Luz said.

“I don’t know why but it sounds good right now.” Willow said.

“Oh, I heard Boscha has a fancy machine and is making some.” Gus said. 

“Of course she does, she’s rich.” Willow scoffed.

“I’ll go get some for us. Luz you work on our s’mores in the meantime.” Gus said, running off.

“Gus wait! Boscha’s gonna kick your butt!” Willow said, standing up. “I should go make sure he’s okay. I’ll be right back Luz.”

“See ya soon.” Luz said.

She stared at the fire. She knew her friends were only a couple of feet away, and she shouldn’t be feeling this way, but Luz felt lonely for some reason. She couldn’t really figure out why. Maybe she felt homesick?

“Hey.” Amity said. Luz had been so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the other girl approaching.

“You wanna sit?” Luz said patting the spot on the log next to her.

“Sure.” Amity sat. “I got you something.” She handed a mug with hot chocolate to Luz.

“Thank you.” She said, taking a sip. “OW THAT'S HOT!”

“Yes. It is.” Amity said, taking a sip from her own mug. “Listen Luz, I’m really sorry. I’ve been really mean to you for no good reason. I thought I was above this camp, I wanted to separate myself from everything in it. I just let my pride get the best of me, it’s something I’ve gotta work on. I have to learn to be more humble I guess.” 

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with pride, so long as you use it the right way.” Luz said. “I’m learning how to be proud of myself, even with my flaws. Willow and Gus have helped me with that. Maybe I can help you?” 

“I’d like that.” Amity said. “I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d like a second shot at being your friend. Could you ever forgive me?” 

“Of course.” Luz said sincerely. The two shared a smile. 

“Well I’m drained, emotionally and physically.” Amity said, standing up. “I’m gonna head to the cabin, see you there.”

“See ya, new best friend!” Luz said.

“Don’t let it get to your head.” Amity said grinning. 

She made her departure. Luz finished preparing the s’mores just in time for Gus and Willow to come back with the hot chocolates. 

“How’d you manage to get these?” Luz said, biting into her s’more. “I thought Boscha hated you.”

“She’s been a little nicer lately.” Willow said.

“Maybe she has a crush on you.” Luz teased.

“Well you know I could be asking you the same thing.” Willow said, a little flustered. 

“Huh?” Luz said.

“How’d you get a second mug?” Willow pointed at the mug Amity had given Luz.

“Oh! It was a gift from Amity!” Luz said.

“Oh so you two are getting along now?” Gus asked.

“Yeah.” Luz said. “I think we are.”

•••

Later that night, Luz headed for her cabin. There was a box in the middle of the room, which she assumed must be the prize Bump had given Amity. She crawled into bed as quietly as she could so as not to disturb her roommate, who was seemingly already asleep.

“Goodnight.” Luz said before closing her eyes.

“Goodnight.” Amity replied.

Luz fell asleep that night with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gay rights.


	4. Fireflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than usual. I’m kinda happy w how this chapter turned out :) hope u enjoy.

The morning sun shone through the windows and illuminated Luz’s face. She had a good feeling about today. Her and Amity had been getting along pretty well since the last big camp challenge. It had been 4 days since then and she was hoping they could keep this attitude all summer. Her roommate was being a lot more sincere, warm, welcoming, and considerate. Luz liked this new Amity, she might even call her a friend, but she wasn’t sure if they were there just yet.

“G’mornin Roomie!” Luz said as she stretched in bed. Today was Saturday which meant they didn’t have lessons, so they took their time waking up. Amity yawned, getting up as well, her hair was a mess. “Let’s go grab breakfast! Gotta stay healthy! But first, I got dibs on the shower!”

“That’s okay,” Amity said with tired eyes and a soft smile. “I’m gonna shower later.” 

Luz got ready pretty quickly. Stepping out of the bathroom, she saw that Amity was ready too. The two began their walk towards the mess hall.

“I hope the food is good today.” Amity said.

“That’s harder to believe than the fact that magic is real.” Luz said. 

Amity giggled. “Oh my god Luz, you’re so mean!” She said playfully.

“I mean what are they putting in there?” Luz continued. “Bugs? Toads? I get that we’re witches but this is a bit much.” 

Amity began to crack up. Not giggling or chuckling, but laughing, completely unrestrained. Luz had never seen Amity laugh, she decided it was one of her new favorite sounds. 

The two shared a smile and a wave as they separated at the mess hall. Luz met up with Willow and Gus after grabbing her grub.

“Morning Luz!” Willow said cheerfully.

“Morning Willow!” Luz replied. “You seem to be in a good mood!”

“Yeah,” Willow said. “The head counselor for the plant tome said I have a true gift! She’s gonna be teaching me private lessons! She said I’ve got the potential to be a real powerhouse in a few years! Maybe even her protege!”

“Willow! That’s great news!” Luz said with a mouth full of eggs and bacon. “Watch out world! Willow Park is ready to make her mark!”

“You seem pretty happy this morning too, Luz!” Gus piped up.

“Am I? I guess I’m just feeling happy that me and Amity aren’t fighting anymore.” Luz said. As she spoke she noticed that her roomie was actually approaching their table. “Oh hey speak of the devil.” 

“I’ll say.” Willow said. 

“Heya Luz.” Amity said shyly. 

“Hey howdy! How’s it hangin?” Luz said.

“It’s um hangin’ well?” She responded awkwardly before proceeding. “Listen Luz, I just wanted to tell you that I’m thinking of having a sleepover with some friends in our cabin tonight. I was wondering if it was okay with you?”

“Oh yea! Sure thing!” Luz said after swallowing her food. “So do you want me to spend the night at Willow’s or something so I can give you some privacy?”

“No, I, um.” Amity was fidgeting with her fingers. “I was actually wondering if you’d wanna stay and join us?”

“Oh, you’re inviting me?” Luz asked. “Uhhhh sure, yeah, I’ll be there!”

“Okay, see you at the cabin! I mean uh of course I’m gonna see you at the cabin, after all you live there, with um, with me.” Amity nervously and forcefully chuckled at her own remark. An awkward silence befell the scene.

“I’m gonna go now, bye!” Amity said quickly and ran off. 

“So, a sleepover?” Gus said. “Sounds cool!”

“Ugh I know right?” Luz said. “This’ll be so much fun!” Luz glanced at Willow who was looking down at her food with a look of sadness on her face. 

“You okay, Willow?” Luz said.

“Huh? Yea, I’m fine, I just…” Willow said. “Just be careful Luz.”

“Willow?” Luz said. “What do you mean?”

“Just be careful, okay?” Willow smiled softly.

“Okay.” Luz said.

•••

Studying all 9 tomes was no easy task, which is why Luz would sometimes take extra classes with Eda on the weekends. She had been making pretty steady progress, but today her lines were rough and wobbly. The messier the drawing, the messier the spell. Her glyphs had seen better days.

“Ugh,” Luz said. “I can’t get it right.” She felt her brain turning to mush.

“I know you can do better than that! You just seem distracted.” Eda said. “What’s on your mind?”

“Amity invited me to a sleepover tonight.” Luz said.

“That’s the mean girl you’ve got the hots for right?” Eda said.

“I don’t have the hots for her!” Luz argued. “I just wanna be her friend!”

“Mhmm.” Eda said. “So what seems to be the problem?” She sat down on a chair she kept outside her cabin. 

“Well, I uh, I’ve never been to a sleepover before.” Luz said.

“You’re kidding right?” Eda said, snickering.

“Back home, I was the weird girl.” Luz said with a hint of pain in her voice. “No one really wanted to be friends with me, much less invite me to spend the night. It’s one of the reasons my mom sent me here.”

Eda stopped chuckling. “Hey don’t beat yourself up about it, you’re a great kid. Those girls back home are idiots for all I care. You’re way cooler than all of them.” 

“Eda.” Luz was tearing up slightly. Luz walked over and extended her arms, silently asking Eda for permission to hug her. For once, Eda didn’t deny her request. Eda stood up and held Luz tightly.

“Just be yourself, Luz. You’ll soon find out, the weirdos are always the best people.” Eda said. “Now, if any of those girls tonight try to pick on you, you just call me and I’ll come teach them a lesson.”

“Thank you, Eda.” Luz said.

“Okay, now let’s get practicing again.” Eda said. “Let’s try and master at least one more spell before your big date tonight.”

“It’s not a date!” Luz denied.

“Whatever you say, kid.” Eda said.

•••

It was 7:30 pm which meant Amity’s friends would be getting there soon. Luz’s eyes fell to the box in the middle of the room. Her roommate had won it after the challenge a few days ago, but Luz still didn’t know what it was. Suddenly, she heard the shower stop. Maybe she could finally ask Amity what it was. The door to the bathroom opened, and out stepped her roomie. She wore a pink shirt and black comfy shorts, her black nails were chipped, and she wore no makeup, letting Luz see the imperfections in her face. This was also the first time she had seen Amity with her hair down. She decided Amity had never looked as pretty as she did in that moment. Luz’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe Eda was onto something?

“Luz?” Amity said. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Huh Yea um yup there’s totally a ghost in here.” Luz said. “He’s uh, he’s super cute.”

“Really?” Amity said. “Maybe I should put on makeup?”

“No, don’t do that!” Luz said, nervously. Amity looked confused. “Uhhhhh anyway I was wondering what’s in the box.”

“Oh yea! That’s actually the reason we’re having the sleepover!” Amity said. “It’s an air conditioning unit! Tonight we sleep like queens.”

“Woah! Bump believes in technology?” Luz said.

Amity laughed at that. “I doubt it, I think this was made with magic.”

There was a knocking at the door. “That must be them!” Amity said. She ran over to turn the doorknob. Her friends Boscha and Skara stepped into the room.

“God I’m dying out here!” Boscha said. “Amity, you better turn that A/C on full blast before I lose my mind.” 

“I’m on it.” Amity opened the box to unveil an object no bigger than a vase. She pressed a glyph on the side and it began to turn the air in the room cool within seconds. 

Boscha set her stuff down and collapsed on the floor. “Aaaaaaah that’s better. I haven’t felt this good in weeks. I’m telling you my cabin is a nightmare right now with the heat and my roommate. I’m so glad I could get away from that for a day.”

Skara laughed. “You talk about her so much, it’s starting to feel like you like being annoyed by her.”

“As if.” Boscha said.

“What’s wrong with Willow?” Luz asked. The room went slightly silent.

“Well nothing except for the fact that she’s as interesting as a snail. She’s probably just as smart as one too.” Boscha said, earning a laugh from Skara and even a small giggle from Amity. Luz, feeling a little betrayed, looked over at her roommate who’s face quickly turned from amusement to guilt. 

“You know Boscha, it’s okay, we shouldn’t really talk about Willow tonight.” Amity chuckles nervously. “Tonight is just about us getting some much needed relaxation.” 

“Willow is smart, you know that, right? She’s also probably one of the strongest witches in camp.” Luz said.

“Amity, remind me again who invited this loser.” Boscha said.

“This ‘loser’ could kick your butt any time.” Luz said.

Boscha stood up and got closer to Luz, staring her down. “Are you challenging me?”

Amity laughed nervously. “Who wants to watch a movie?” The two turned to look at her. She was waving her phone.

“Ooooo, I do!” Skara said.

Amity pulled out an intricate glyph Luz had never seen before. She placed her phone on it and then tapped it. The image on the screen was suddenly projected onto one of the cabin’s walls. She hit play and the movie began. Boscha backed down, for now, she sat on Amity’s bed and so did Skara. Luz sat on her bed and her roommate soon joined her. 

The movie that Amity put on seemed to be a romance. It was pretty corny but it was better than being in a silent cabin with Boscha. During the movie, Luz couldn’t help but to fixate on just how close her and Amity were to one another. There were points where she swore she saw her scooting closer ever so slightly, or stealing glances, but it must’ve been her imagination. 

After the movie, the girls ate snacks and discussed what they had seen. Luz found that she felt surprisingly comfortable talking to them, she almost forgot her and Boscha were trying to strangle each other earlier. But as soon as the conversation shifted to some kid in their high school, Luz completely lost track of it. She didn’t talk too much for the rest of the night, except for when she occasionally talked to Amity. Soon, the girls decided it was time to start getting ready to go to bed. They took turns going to the bathroom to brush their teeth. 

“Here Skara, you can sleep on my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” Amity said.

“Thanks.” She said, accepting her offer. 

Luz went to brush her teeth, when she returned, she found Boscha in her bed. “I… guess I’ll sleep on the floor too.” Luz said.

She sat down on one of the sleeping bags that had been set up on the floor. She laid down on her side so that she was looking directly at Amity, who laid on the other sleeping bag. The two stared at each other. Luz had never slept this close to somebody before.

“Good night, Luz.” Amity said, smiling. Luz could’ve sworn she was blushing too.

“Good night.” Luz said.

•••

Luz was in deep sleep when she was struck by something hard. She woke up, startled. She was hit again, this time realizing it had been Amity who had hit her. She had kicked Luz, and from the look of it, she wasn’t doing it on purpose. She seemed to be fast asleep, but her eyes were scrunched and her brows were knit.

“Amity?” Luz said as she shook her roomie gently. 

Amity began to hyperventilate. Her eyes fluttered open, pupils darting everywhere as she began to calm down. “L-Luz?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It was just a dream, I’m here.” Luz reached out and put her arm on Amity’s shoulder. “Do you need anything? Water? A hug?”

Amity glanced over at the artifact, it hadn’t stopped producing the magical cool air that filled the cabin. “I know this is gonna sound rich, but I think I need some fresh air.” She said.

Luz giggled. “Of course.”

The two got up as quietly as they could. They put on slippers and stepped outside. Luz brought her thermos filled with water just in case.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She said after a few seconds of silence. 

“Can we just stand here for a minute first?” Amity said softly. Luz nodded.

The weather was moist and warm, not a single breeze to be felt. The only sounds to be heard were frogs croaking, crickets chirping, and owls hooting. The air was filled with fireflies. Amity swatted one away as it landed on her arm. 

“Ugh, I hate bugs.” She said.

“I think fireflies are really pretty.” Luz said.

“They light up. Big deal.” Amity responded dryly. 

“But did you know they choose to light up?” Luz said. “ They glow to attract a mate. It makes them easy to spot.”

“But doesn’t that mean frogs would have an easier time finding them too?” Amity said. “Why risk it? Are they dumb?”

“Who knows?” Luz said. “I wanna believe they know the risk, and that they choose to shine brightly anyway. Imagine that. It could mean the end of the world for them, but they don’t care, they take the risk because love is worth it.”

“They’re bugs, Luz.” Amity said after a bit.

“Yeah but it’s fun to think about this stuff.” Luz said with a smile. The two stood in silence admiring the light show for a while.

“The nightmare was about my parents” Amity broke the silence.

“I’m so sorry.” Luz said softly.

Amity’s eyes began to water. “Luz, I feel so trapped.” She began to wipe at her tears. “I shouldn’t be so afraid of them.” 

Luz reached out and grabbed her hand. “It’s okay, they can’t hurt you here.”

“My parents, they wish I was someone else.” Amity said. “They sent me here to try and set me straight. They want me to be their perfect daughter, to never step out of line, to never be an oddity, a freak, an embarrassment.”

“What!? That’s ridiculous you’re so cool, Amity!” Luz said. “I think you’re great just the way you are!”

“I just can’t be what they want me to be, I wanna be me. I wanna be able to be proud of me. Even if I’m a weirdo, at least I’m being myself.” Amity’s said. “I'm so afraid of how they’ll punish me, and I hate that I have to be afraid.”

Luz remembered Eda’s words from earlier. “Hey, weirdos are always the best people, we gotta stick together.” She said. “If your parents ever hurt you again, let me know, please. I think I know a lady who’s willing to kick their butt for you.”

Amity hugged her. “Thank you, Luz. I’m really lucky to have you as a friend.” 

Luz was a bit shocked that Amity was the one to start the hug this time. “Anytime.” She replied. The two separated after a bit.

“I’m really glad you came to the sleepover.” She said, looking down at the ground and blushing.

“I mean, it IS my cabin.” Luz chuckled.

Amity laughed a bit. “Right.” She grabbed Luz’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get some sleep.”

The two ended their night by laying down on their sleeping bags and looking each other in the eyes. Even if they had problems with their families back home, they didn't have to worry about them at camp. In that single moment, they both felt completely safe in each other’s presence. 

Amity let go of Luz’s hand and said goodnight, closing her eyes. Luz said goodnight in return. That night she realized she had a massive crush.

•••

Amity’s friends left early the next morning. After they were done cleaning up the place, she and Luz headed to get breakfast. The two sat down at the first empty table they could find and began to eat.

“So are you feeling any better?” Luz asked.

“Yeah. Much better actually.” Amity said. “Thank you, you helped a lot.” 

“Anytime, I get the feeling you were going through.” Luz said. “I mean not to the same extent, but a little bit.”

“It feels so strange that I feel comfortable talking to you about this when I met you so recently.” Amity said. “I’ve never talked to Boscha about this stuff, that’s for sure.”

“No offense to Boscha, but I think you could use some nicer friends.” Luz said. “You could hang out more with me and my friends! After all, us weirdos gotta stick together.” 

Amity looked sadly at her food. “I don’t know if that’s possible.” 

“Why not?” Luz said with a slight chuckle. 

“Hey, Amity.” Willow said. Luz hadn’t noticed her walking up to the table. 

“Oh! Hi Willow!” Luz said. “I was just telling Ami-“

“I was gonna come hang out with you Luz, but if she’s gonna be here, I think I’d rather not.” Willow had a sad look on her face. “You better not hurt my friend, Amity. If you do, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t. I’ll see you later Luz.” 

Willow walked away from the mess hall.

“That’s why.” Amity said.

“Whatever happened between you two?” Luz asked. 

“Long story.” Amity said, a weak tone in her voice. “I think… I owe her a big apology.” Her expression was filled with shame. “Maybe it’s too late for that.”

“It’s never too late.” Luz said. “I’ll help you. I want you two to start getting along.”

“But how?” Amity said.

Luz put her hand on her chin. “I think I’ve got an idea.”


	5. Forgiveness

It was about noon, most kids were eating right about now, but not Willow Park. Willow was currently practicing plant magic with her new mentor, becoming the best witch to know the plant tome was not going to be an easy journey, but she was willing to work hard to do it. She felt as though she had found her true calling here at camp. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone but she’d even been considering becoming a counselor when she was older. Life was going great, the only problem was a certain girl. 

Amity was getting closer to Luz, she could tell by the way they talked to one another, and Willow was very scared. She had already lost one best friend, she couldn’t let herself lose another. Luz was too nice to abandon her, but maybe Amity would be persuasive enough to convince her. She knew the doubts in her mind were irrational but they felt real to her, real enough to mess with her magic.

“Willow, sweetie, is everything okay?” Her mentor said.

“It’s okay, Miss Juniper.” Willow said.”I’ve just got some stuff on my mind.”

Her mentor put her hand on Willow’s shoulder. “In that case, we can continue tomorrow. Take some time for yourself today, and rest, you deserve it.”

The two had grown very close already. Willow loved her dads but she’d be lying if she said she wouldn’t miss her mentor once she left camp. As she exited the forest she found herself surprisingly face to face with Luz.

“Heya Willow!” Luz said. “I got something for ya!” 

She brought her arms forward, revealing that she’d been hiding a present behind her back. It was a box covered in wrapping paper with a neat bow on top. “Boop!” She said as she handed the box over.

Willow held the gift with care. She felt a sense of comfort in it but also suspicion. “What’s the occasion?” 

Luz laughed nervously. “It’s actually not from me.” She pointed behind her at Amity. The girl waved nervously but didn’t make eye contact. “She says she wants to make things right.”

Willow handed the box back over to Luz. “Well, tell her she’ll have to come talk to me herself.” 

Luz signaled at Amity and the young girl began to make her way over to them.

“I don’t get why you even wanna be her friend.” Willow crossed her arms.

“She’s pretty cool now actually.” Luz said. “I know she wasn’t always, but I wanted to believe she was, deep inside.”

The girl arrived. “Hey… Willow.” She said meekly. 

Willow raised an eyebrow, interested in what would come out of her mouth next.

Amity looked as though she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. A month ago she would have never even thought about apologizing to anyone other than her parents, much less Halfwit Willow. But there was no Luz then. No bright sun to help her see the way she should be treating others. 

“I owe you an explanation.” The words began to fall out of her mouth so naturally. She realized she’d been wanting to say this for the longest time, she just hadn’t. “I never wanted to stop being your friend. I’m so sorry. It was my parents, they… they thought you and your dads were a… bad influence on me. I’m sorry” 

Amity felt weightless after finally speaking out. She held the box forward and offered it to Willow.

“You still don’t get it.” Willow said with a sigh of defeat. She turned down the present, much to Luz and Amity’s confusion. “I know you two are gonna be friends now, I’m not gonna be mean to you and I’m not gonna complain, but we are not friends, Amity. I still haven’t even forgiven you.” 

Amity felt as if her heart had been sliced. “But... I want to be your friend. I… I’m sorry I couldn’t back then but I wanna try now. We’re in camp now, my parents can’t-“

“THIS ISN'T ABOUT THEM!” Willow snapped. She instantly put her hand on her mouth, shocked at how loud her own voice could be. “I’m sorry Amity, I know your parents aren’t great, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be mad at you too. All those times we were in school together, they were never there. You didn’t just ignore me, you insulted me, you tormented me for years. I can’t just forgive you for that. Not unless you change.” 

“But, I have changed.” Amity said.

“Then prove it.” She touched the box in Amity’s hands. “You’re going to have to earn my friendship. You can’t buy it.” 

With the final words lingering in the air, Willow departed, leaving Amity alone with Luz. She felt embarrassed that the girl had seen her get berated, but she felt even more embarrassed by the fact that it was justified. 

•••

Amity’s final lesson of the day had just concluded, leaving her with nothing to do but think. Think about Willow, and the pit of guilt that had formed in her chest. She sat on a log as all of her tomemates left the clearing. They all had an hour of freedom before dinner, but Amity had nothing to do at all. She would usually spend this time with Boscha or Skara but she was currently trying to avoid them. If she were to be honest the only person she really wanted to see, at the moment, was Luz. However after the argument earlier, she doubted she’d be seeing the girl anytime soon.

“Hey Amity!” Luz said appearing out of nowhere. “How’s my favorite roomie doin?”

“GAHHH!” Amity exclaimed in surprise. “Luz? Aren’t you mad at me?”

“What? No way!” Luz said. “Anyway I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight?”

Amity blushed. “Yes, I’d love to!”

“Great to hear!” Luz said. “Heyyyyy you know who you should totally hang out with?” She grabbed the arm of a young boy who had apparently been hiding behind a nearby tree. “My good friend Gus! He’ll also be joining us for dinner!”

Amity was slightly disappointed by that, but she complied. “Oh uh sure?” She said awkwardly.

“Great!” Luz grabbed Gus by the shoulders and whispered in his ear. “I’ll see you guys at dinner!!” Luz ran off, leaving Amity to stand in awkward silence with the boy. 

“Soooooo” Amity began, not really certain on what to say. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much.” Gus said flatly. “You wanna get on a canoe together?” 

“I don’t see why not.” She replied.

And so the two set off on a quiet walk to the lake. The air was humid and the sun hung low enough that it wasn’t blazing on their skin. Once they had found a canoe, they pushed it into the cool waters and began to row. 

Being out on the lake was a pleasant time. Amity felt a great sense of peace, it was almost as if all her problems could fade away when she was out on the water. The only thing that reminded her of the outside world was the boy she was sharing the canoe with. She’d never really talked to Gus back in school, she always thought him a troublemaker but he was actually pretty nice. Although it was a bit weird, she didn’t necessarily feel uncomfortable being silent around him. She just didn’t know what to say. 

“Sooooo water huh?” Gus said.

“Yup, there sure is a lotta water out here.” She said. “It’s kinda relaxing, right?” 

“Well not if you start thinking about the countless horrors lurking beneath us right now.” He said. Amity grew concerned at that statement, she hadn’t really thought about it that way. Now it was all she could think about, and it must’ve shown on her face. “It was a uhhhh bad joke! We’ll be fine.” Gus said nervously.

The two became silent, but now Amity had too much to think about. She didn’t have to worry about anything before, but now her mind was plagued by the thought of all the sea monsters below the water. She had to start a conversation somehow. “Soooooo what was Luz whispering in your ear?” She said.

“Oh nothing really.” He said. “It’s not really important.”

“Cmon, tell me.” She said. “Friendship starts with trust right?”

He sighed. “She just said she wants me to keep you busy while she talks to Willow.” He said. “She wants us all to have a nice dinner together tonight.”

“She’s too optimistic.” She said.

“It doesn’t sound like you hate that though.” He said.

“I uhhh well” she stuttered. “It can be a refreshing change of pace sometimes, I guess.”

Gus looked at her intently. Amity tried to command every nerve within her face so that she wouldn’t blush. 

She blushed.

“YOU LIKE HER!” Gus shouted.

“Shut up shut up shut up!!” She said. “I don’t want the whole camp hearing that!”

“We’re in the middle of a lake! No one can hear us!” He said.

Amity buried her head in her hands. Gus felt a slight bit of guilt.

“Hey, whatever we talk about on this boat stays on this boat, okay?” He said. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“How did you know?” She said.

“I’m pretty observant, pretty dang smart too.” He said. “At least smart enough to advance two years in school.” 

“Oh. I thought you looked younger but I didn’t wanna say anything.” She said.

“Well I appreciate that.” He said with a smile. “Thanks.” A few more seconds of silence and contemplation passed.

“It’s hard isn’t it?” She said. “Being smart?”

“What do you mean?” He said.

“I feel like my grades have become almost like the only thing that validates my existence.” She said. “Everyone looks at me like I’m a walking report card. I wonder sometimes what life would be like if I didn’t get straight As. If people would still respect me.”

“I’m glad that I skipped a few grades but I get what you mean.” He said. “I can barely make any friends at school. I think everyone just looks down at me because of my age or is intimidated because they think I’m a super genius or something. I’m not! I’m just a kid! A kid who loves his parents, even if they pressure him to work too hard at school sometimes.”

“I didn’t know.” She said, offering a hand. “My parents want me to achieve ‘academic excellence’ too. But you know, I think that stuff is kinda-“

“Boring?” He said.

“SO BORING!” She agreed with a chuckle.

“Well that’s why I think it’s important to have other talents and interests, and I think we’ve got a pretty dang good one.” He said.

“What are you talking about?” She said 

“...”

“...”

“Magic.” He said sternly. “I was talking about magic.”

“Oh” she said. 

“I’m starting to think you’re not that smart.” He said grinning. 

“Shut up!” She playfully shoved him and the two began to laugh. 

“Thanks for opening up.” Gus said. “Luz was right, you are pretty cool.”

Amity blushed at the thought of Luz complimenting her. “Thanks, you too.” She said.

The rest of their time on the boat was quite nice. The Willow situation was a bit complicated, but at least she could rest easy knowing that her and Gus would be getting along just fine.

•••

It was nearly 6 pm and Luz found herself at the dining table. She held her friend’s hand. “Thank you for agreeing to this Willow.” She said.

“It’s no trouble.” Willow said. “I just... I get that our separation wasn’t really Amity’s fault, but I just can’t let go of the stuff she did so easily.” 

“There’s no need to rush.” Luz said, putting her arm on her shoulder.

“Hey guys!” Gus said approaching the table with Amity behind him. 

“Heya!” Luz said as the two sat down. “How was the lake?”

“It was actually quite nice.” Amity said. “I kinda wanna go again someday. Maybe you guys could come with us next time.” 

“Sounds fun!” Luz said.

“Yeah, maybe.” Willow said.

“I’d really like it if you came, Willow.” Amity said.

“I don’t need you to patronize me.” Willow said.

“I’m not patronizing you, I’m just trying to be nice.” Amity said. After a few minutes of silence, she stood up. “I’m done with food. I think I’m gonna go read a book. This was nice.” She said, but she sounded as closed off as she was on their first day at camp. 

After Amity set her tray near the disposal bin, she began to exit the mess hall. She was on her way to her cabin when she spotted Boscha. The girl stood near her and Willow’s cabin with two colorful potions in each hand. Unfortunately, she spotted Amity.

“Amity!” She began to walk over to her. “Have you been avoiding me!?” 

“Let’s just say I’ve been busy with more important things.” Amity said.

“Oh so you think you’re above me now?” Boscha said. “What’s with you lately? I noticed it at our sleepover too. You’re going soft.”

“Ugh buzz off, Boscha.” She said with distaste. 

“It’s because you’re hanging out with that loser girl isn’t it?” Boscha said aggressively. “What’s so great about her anyway? Last I checked she was just some freak!” 

“Why do you act like this!?” Amity said, raising her voice. “I know you can be sweet when you wanna be.”

“Don’t talk to me like you’re better than me!” Boscha said. “You’re getting friendly with the freaks, and Leaf Girl suddenly thinks she’s so cool! Well I’m sick of it! I think it’s time someone reminded you guys about the natural order of things.” 

She gripped the bottles in her hands and turned to face the side of her cabin. There lay a small, diverse field of flowers. Amity didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed it before.

“What are you doing?” Amity said.

“Willow has been humiliating me at every single challenge since we got to camp.” Boscha said. “She thinks she’s so powerful now. I’m gonna knock her down a peg. This is her personal garden, and I’m gonna poison it.”

Realization dawned on Amity. Willow cared about her plants a lot, maybe even more than people. She would be absolutely devastated if her garden were to suddenly turn up dead. 

“I’m really mad at you right now.” Boscha said. “But there’s still a way to redeem yourself. Help me out here, would ya?”

Boscha lifted her arm in preparation to toss the flask. Before she had a chance to think, Amity’s hand moved. She grabbed onto Boscha’s wrist and made her throw the bottles in the opposite direction.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Boscha said.

“I don’t know.” Amity said. “But I think I should’ve done it a long time ago.”

•••

Willow had a pretty long day. As she made her way home, the only thing she wanted to do was check up on her plants’ growth. She used a simple light glyph while approaching her garden.

The grass around it seemed a bit messed up, but her plants seemed fine, they were growing pretty healthily. She put out the light and headed toward her cabin.

She opened the door, inside she found an unusual scene. Boscha was laying down in bed and she had bandages on her head and limbs. 

“I hate you.” Boscha said quietly. 

“What the heck happened to you?” Willow said.

“Well I was just going about my business, and your new best friend, Amity, went completely bonkers on me!” Boscha said. “Needless to say I’m not talking to her anymore. She’s blacklisted.”

“What did you do?” Willow said.

“Nothing!” Boscha said.

“What did you do?” Willow repeated, her tone a bit more menacing now.

Boscha began to sweat nervously. “I was gonna pull a harmless prank on you, mess with your garden a bit. But she had to come and be a party pooper. I gave her a playful little nudge and she totally beat me up for no reason!”

•••

There was a knocking at the door. Amity got up to open it. 

“Hey! You shouldn’t be moving right now!” Luz said. 

She opened the door to find Willow. “Oh my god, Amity, are you okay?” Willow said. 

Amity boasted a black eye and several bandages all over her body. She could definitely understand why Willow was concerned. 

“I’m okay, surprisingly.” She said.

“Boscha told me what you did.” Willow said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Don't worry about it.” Amity said. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to sleep if I hadn’t.” 

“Well at least let me say thank you.” Willow said. 

“It’s the least I could do.” Amity said, pausing for a second to think. “Hey Luz, can you bring the gift?”

The other girl knelt on the ground, reaching under Amity’s bed. She pulled out the gift from earlier and promptly brought it over to them.

“What is it?” Willow said, peeking inside.

“It’s a magical air conditioning artifact.” Amity said. “I’m not really using it, and I’ve heard from Boscha that your cabin gets pretty hot. Plus it would put her in a more agreeable mood.”

Willow chuckled at the last part. A comfortable silence befell the two. “I’m sorry if I was hard to deal with today.” Willow said.

“Please don’t apologize.” Amity said. “I was an awful person before, I understand how you feel. I just hope I can make up for all those years.”

“Well this is a good start.” Willow said with a smile. “Good night you two.”

The girls waved at her until she was out of sight and then closed the door to their cabin. Amity physically felt like she had been stomped on by a rhino, but her heart had never felt lighter. She walked over to her bed and flopped down on it. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

“What a day huh?” Amity said. 

“You said it.” Luz said, strangely close by.

Amity’s eyes flew open as she was startled by how close Luz’s voice was. She realized Luz was on her knees at the side of Amity’s bed, very near her face, looking into her eyes. From this distance, Amity could see every detail of Luz’s face. They were separated by mere inches. She could feel Luz’s breath on her cheeks, which began to blush furiously. 

Luz grabbed her hand. “Thank you so much.” She said. “This means a lot to me, I never thought I’d have someone like you in my life.” 

Both girls looked at each other wide eyes, blushing madly. 

Luz began to stutter. “Uhhh I mean I uhh w-what I meant was like a friend. You know like someone willing to go through the lengths you went through today for me and ummm yea.”

Amity, well composed as ever, said something quite intelligent. “Yep Yea mhmm!” She said nervously and stiffly. “I have to rest my aching body now.”

“Right.” Luz said, standing up to go to her bed. “Good night then!”

Luz turned off the light and the two girls lay in their beds for a few minutes.

“Hey Luz?” Amity said. “Thanks for never giving up on me.”

“Of course.” Luz said.

“Good night.” Amity said.

“Sleep tight.” Luz said.

“Don’t let the horrible bed demons bite” Amity said.

The two shared a quick laugh. Luz’s life had been crazy the past few weeks. She had found out magic was real. She had friends now, real friends. She was sharing a room with one of the people who she felt most comfortable around. Her life seemed like it was in a perfect state. There was only one thing that was concerning her, and it was the slight pain she felt in her chest. Every soft laugh and blush she saw from Amity made her heart ache. Her crush on Amity was getting stronger. She knew she’d have to confront it some day, but she was happier than ever at the moment. Surely no harm could come from enjoying these peaceful times. Even if Amity didn’t feel the same way, Luz would try to smile and laugh with her for as long as she could. She drifted to sleep, hoping that summer would never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a bit to write, sorry bout that! I’m really excited for next chapter though! Look forward to it! It’s one of my favorites that I’ve got planned out.


	6. Cold

Luz was afraid. She didn’t like to admit it, but she was afraid. Two years ago she had come out to her mother. Her mom took it well, she wasn’t the most informed on the subject but she tried to support and love Luz as best she could. She knew her mom was trying her best. They had agreed not to tell the rest of the family because Luz didn’t feel as comfortable with that. It became a small bit of intimacy, a secret they shared. Ever since that day, Luz knew she wouldn’t have to tell the rest of her family, her uncles or aunts or cousins, not unless she got a long term girlfriend. Here Luz was, two years later, thinking of risking it all.

The way she felt towards Amity was so new. She’d thought other girls were pretty before and she figured that’s what she would feel towards her roommate, but the feeling was deeper. She wanted Amity to be a part of her future, desperately. She wanted to talk to her every day, and for her to feel the same way she did. She needed to know. She needed to tell her how she felt. But should tonight be the night? Luz pondered these questions as she sat in her bed.

It was very deep into the night, and Luz wore comfy clothes in anticipation for bed. A dim light illuminated the room that came from the bathroom. Her roomie was brushing her teeth. Luz stared at the back of the viridian head of wet hair. She could’ve said any word at that point and Amity would’ve given her full attention to her, but she didn’t. 

The last month since Amity and Willow had started getting along had been the happiest days of Luz’s life. She had friends who she deeply cared for, and every day she got to wake up next to the person who was, in her eyes, the most beautiful girl in the world. She spent every day with her roommate and the two never seemed to get tired of one another. She loved her, and she knew that Amity cared for her too, but she didn’t know if those feelings were romantic. Heck, she didn’t even know if Amity liked girls.

“Hey, Luz, are you going to that thing tomorrow?” Amity said. 

“Huh?” Luz said. “What thing?” 

“You know, the like campfire party.” Amity said. “Everyone at camp’s talking about it.” 

“Oh, guess I hadn’t heard of it.” Luz said. Her recent studies with Eda may have been interfering with how often she stayed in the loop with camp activities.

“Oh well it sounds like fun.” Amity said. “There‘ll be like music and dancing and funny drinks.”

“Oh like the legal kind that fourteen year olds drink.” Luz said.

“Yeah like fruit punch and whatever, so you wanna go?” Amity said.

“Uhh.” Luz choked. Was Amity asking her out? Although she probably didn’t mean it in a romantic way. Amity probably just wanted to go with her friends. This was Luz’s opportunity to clear things up and ask her directly if there was more to their relationship. “Sure thing, bud!” Luz panicked. 

“Okay well, see ya there… uhhh bud?” Amity sounded confused, and slightly disappointed. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Luz said. She felt disappointed in herself for missing her golden opportunity, but maybe there was still hope. She made a decision. Tomorrow night she would ask Amity to dance, she would confess her feelings after. Surely that would work. She closed the lids of her eyes and drifted off.

•••

Luz awoke and shouted. “Good morning!!” As she looked to the side, she realized her friend was already awake. She had a pensive look on her face as she stared down at her own feet, sitting on her bed as if she was halfway through getting up to tackle the day. She almost looked sad. “Amity? You okay?” 

“Huh?” Amity said. “Oh yeah! This day’s just gonna be… long.”

“Amity, do you need to talk?” Luz said. “Don’t run from things, you can talk to me about them. You remember that right?” 

Amity smiled at Luz softly in the way that made Luz’s brain melt. “It’s no big deal, I’ll talk to you about it soon just… not now. Thank you, though.” 

“Anytime Cap’n” Luz said. “I gotta get ready to train with Eda.” 

“Ok, well, good luck.” Amity said.

“See ya tonight!” Luz said pointing finger guns at the girl.

“Yeah.” 

Luz made her way over to Eda’s cabin. That night was gonna be a game changer, so she had to start planning ahead. Would she do something extremely romantic or something super down to earth? What would Amity prefer? She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she accidentally bumped into King and tripped. 

“Hey watch where you’re going!” King said. “I could have my minions punish you for such behavior.”

“Are your minions, your stuffed animals by chance?” Luz said.

“Maybe.” King said. “In any case be more careful next time.” 

“Sorry.” Luz said “I’m just distracted. I’m going to a party with Amity tonight, and I’m so nervous.” 

“I don’t understand, you’ve beaten her twice. Why are you still afraid?” King said.

“It’s not a fight thing, King. I’m just afraid that she won’t want to spend time with me anymore, I’ve had moments in life when I lose friends because they think the real me is too weird or annoying or something.” Luz said looking down.

“That’s just dumb, you’re one of the more interesting humans I’ve met.” King said. “I bet a lot of people are just intimidated by your power. That’s why they cower away.” 

Luz laughed. “Thank you King.” She said. “I think that actually made me feel a little better.” 

“You could thank me with belly rubs.” King said.

“Sure thing, bud” Luz said. “Now let’s not keep Eda waiting.”

•••

Luz made her best efforts to personify the confidence that King had projected onto her. She wore jeans and a jacket that she hadn’t used in ages. She always thought it made her look cool, so she saved it for special occasions. Although it was stylish, it was also soft and it kept her warm. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she noticed Amity was nowhere to be seen. It was already dark out, which meant it was almost time for the party and she hadn’t seen her roommate since the morning. Luz figured she would see her there so she decided to head out. 

As she got closer to the spot she had become more and more familiar with over the course of the last month, the area began to come into light, thanks to the bonfire. She found both of her friends perched near a table with punch and cups on it. Willow wore a simple green sundress with a sunflower pattern. Gus wore a blue flannel. 

“Hey guys, how’s the fiesta going?” Luz said.

“Pretty good so far!” Gus said. “They’re actually letting me DJ soon.”

“Woah, sounds cool!” Luz said.

“Hey, how come Amity didn’t come with you?” Willow said. 

“I thought she’d be here already.” Luz said.

“I guess she must be running a little late.” Willow said, picking up on the worry in Luz’s voice.

“I’m sure you’re right.” Luz said, but there was still doubt in her mind.

“Come on, let’s dance, it’ll take your mind off things.” Gus said, sensing the unease that his friend was feeling.

The three kids went onto the dance floor and let loose for about fifteen minutes. Gus would have a tough time following up this DJ, he was playing all the right songs. 

After some time, Luz claimed she was a bit tired, and went to get some water. Willow joined her. The two stood near the table but Luz wouldn’t make eye contact. She kept glancing around and nervously scratching at the red plastic cup in her hand. 

“Let me guess.” Willow said. “You’re looking for Amity?”

“That obvious huh?” Luz said. “Sorry, I just can’t stop worrying. She seemed so excited. I think I would just be a lot more comfortable if I knew why she wasn’t here.”

“Don’t worry, Luz.” Willow said with a grin. “I completely understand.”

“I think I’m gonna go check if she’s at the cabin.” Luz said. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, don’t worry about us.” Willow said. “Uh can I ask you something before you leave though?”

“Sure thing, what’s up?” Luz said.

“You like her, don’t you?” Willow said.

Luz was petrified. She didn’t even think she was being obvious about it at all. “Yeah.” She said sincerely . “I really do. I’m sorry, I know it might upset you, but it’s how I feel.” 

“Don’t worry, I think you two would be great for each other.” Willow said. “And it doesn’t really bother me. It might’ve a month ago but not now.”

Luz smiled warmly at her best friend. “Thank you Willow. Make sure Gus doesn’t get into trouble.”

“You can count on me!” Willow said. “See ya soon!” 

Luz dashed off and headed for her cabin. She felt like she was being paranoid, but she had to know what was up or she wouldn’t be able to enjoy herself at the party. She reached her cabin to find that the lights were still on inside, it sparked a sense of security within her.

When she opened the door, the sight that awaited her left her scared and confused. Amity was nowhere to be seen, in fact none of her stuff was anywhere to be seen. All her bags and shoes were missing. Her bed was nearly void of anything, the only thing adorning it was a small piece of folded paper. Without a second of hesitation, Luz ran over to it and picked it up.  
“To Luz” was written in elegant handwriting on the paper. When she unfolded it, she saw a short message inside.

“If you’re reading this, you probably just got back from the party tonight. I hope you had fun. I wish I could’ve gone, I know you probably worried a lot about where I was during that time, and I’m sorry for that. I’m also sorry that you have to find out like this, but I’m afraid you’d try to stop me otherwise. I’m leaving camp. Tonight. By the time you read this, I’ll probably be gone. Know that the last month has been the best of my life, and it was, in large part, due to you. But I can’t stay here any longer. We’ll see each other again someday, I know we will.   
-Amity”

Tears began to fall down Luz’s face. She couldn’t believe Amity was gone, she refused to believe it. It couldn’t end like this, age wouldn’t let it. Suddenly she had a thought. Her roommate had left this note behind anticipating that Luz would read it two hours from now. Maybe it wasn’t too late.

She ran for the door and stepped out into the night. The air was colder than usual. She figured if Amity was planning on leaving she’d have to go to the spot where the bus usually stopped by, the place where they had first arrived at camp. The spot where they were assigned to live in the same cabin. She ran like her life depended on it. She reached the bus stop and spotted the silhouette of a girl with a large suitcase.

“Hey!” Luz shouted.

“Luz?” Amity turned around and they locked eyes.

They stood there facing each other, neither quite sure of what to say. A few seconds of silence passed by, before they knew it, it had been a minute and a half of silence.

“Cool jacket.” Amity said. “It suits you.”

Luz blushed, she felt flattered. It almost made her forget that she was kinda angry at Amity. Almost.

“You were just gonna leave? Without even saying goodbye to me?” Luz said, quickly regaining her feeling of betrayal. 

“I left the note.” Amity said looking at the ground in shame. 

“You know what I mean.” Luz said.

Another few seconds of silence.

“Look I’m sorry Luz, but it was easier that way.” Amity said. “I have to do this, and I’m afraid you’d talk me out of it.”

“Why? Why do you have to leave?” Luz demanded. 

“I just do.” Amity said, avoiding eye contact.

“Is it me?” Luz asked weakly.

Amity hesitated. “No.” She said, but it was too late, her hesitation spoke volumes. It WAS because of her.

Luz felt defeated. She covered her face with her hands and tried to hide her tears, but it didn’t work.

“No no no Luz, I- I’m sorry, it’s not your fault.” Amity said desperately.

“Yes it is! This always happens!” Luz was crying now. “I become friends with someone, we bond and spend more time together, and then we get too close, and they find out I’m a freak, and then they leave me. Sometimes I just wish I was someone else!”

“Luz, no.” Amity said weakly, outstretching her hand.

“I’m never good enough.” Luz said, between breaths.

Suddenly, Amity pulled her into a tight hug. It felt warm and soft. Time felt as if it had stopped. The two embraced each other for what seemed like hours. They pulled apart, but Amity kept her hands on her shoulders, and maintained eye contact with a warm smile. There were tears in her eyes too.

“Don’t say that. You’re more than good enough, Luz.” Amity said. “You’re too good. That’s why I have to leave.” 

“I… don’t understand.” Luz said.

Amity pulled away. She looked back onto the ground with shame, scared to look at Luz. They weren’t face to face, but Luz could tell she was blushing intensely. “I like you. Like… as more than a friend.” Amity said.

Luz froze. She heard the words quite clearly, but she hadn’t really processed them yet. “Like as a best friend?” Luz said. She knew exactly what Amity meant, but her insecurities got the best of her. She needed to know she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Luz, I am a lesbian.” Amity said in a flat tone. “I like you, not platonically, I don’t know how much more clear I can be.” 

Luz fell to the ground, sitting down, needing a moment to process it all. 

“You hate me for it don’t you?” Amity said. “I can’t help the way I am.”

“No, Amity, I don’t!” Luz said. “I’m bi.”

“Oh.” She sighed. “Well this makes things harder. In any event I think I should still go. Earlier this year, my parents found out that I, uh, ‘don’t conform’. They won’t say it, but I think it’s one of the reasons they sent me here. I wanted to stay here, far away from them, where I could be my true self. I was happier than I’ve ever been at home. But if I keep being your roommate any longer, I think I’ll… fall… for you. And that might…not end well.”

Amity winced, as if she expected Luz to be mad. Luz just couldn’t bring herself to move or speak, the girl she had been crushing on intensely, had just said she felt the same way. She even implied she was falling in love with her. She was happy and sad at the same time. She felt sorry for Amity, and wished she could show her a better life.

After a few more seconds, Luz broke the silence. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I really like you too. Like not platonically.” 

“Oh.” Amity said, blushing. “That doesn’t make it better.” She said with tears in her eyes, but she was smiling widely. 

The two hugged in an instant, holding onto each other as if it was the last time they’d see each other. Luz’s heart was beating so hard it threatened to break out of her chest. They stood there, hugging, for several minutes, swaying back and forth, almost mimicking a dance. When they pulled apart it was because they heard the bus. 

Amity grabbed her luggage and gave Luz a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Luz.”

“Goodnight Amity.”

She walked towards the bus. And yet, as she was climbing the stairs, she looked back. She looked at Luz, almost like she was pleading. 

“Please stay.” Luz said. 

Amity turned her face away.

“Look kid,” the driver said. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but it looks to me like maybe you oughta consider staying. I mean I don’t wanna see that girl cry, it would really dampen my night, hoot.”

Amity paused to look at the driver, but eventually gave him a warm smile. “Thanks Hooty.”

She got off the bus and ran into Luz’s arms. “So you’re staying?” Luz said. 

“Maybe just for a couple more days.” Amity said. “I think I should give this more thought, but don’t get your hopes up.”

•••

“Gosh, I’m exhausted.” Luz said. “I’m gonna sleep for 12 hours.” Once they were in their cabin, she took off her jacket. 

“What a shame, you look so good in it.” Amity said. 

Luz blushed.

“Sorry, I —“ 

“No it’s ok.” Luz said. “Thanks. You look really nice tonight too.”

Now it was Amity’s turn to be flustered. She went to the bathroom, probably in order to escape the situation. When she returned she was in her PJs, which Luz had also changed into. 

Amity crawled into bed and Luz followed suit. They turned off the lights.

“Goodnight roomie.” Luz said.

“Goodnight” Amity said. 

“I’m glad you stayed.” 

“Me too.”

A few minutes passed but Luz couldn’t sleep, she was buzzing with excitement. Amity liked her, they would have a lot to talk about tomorrow. Being completely awake, she noticed Amity tossing and turning, and… shivering?

“Are you okay?” She said. 

“It’s um it’s nothing.” 

“Cmon, I thought we were over this.” Luz said. “Just tell me so I can help.”

“It’s really chilly.” Amity said, sitting up in bed. 

Luz turned on a lamp, and stood up. “Here, I think I’ve got a solution.”

She knelt and picked up the jacket. She began to walk over to Amity and sat down next to her on the bed once she reached it. She wrapped the jacket around her roommate.

“There, that any better?” Luz said.

“Much better.” Amity said, clutching onto the jacket. 

Luz looked into Amity’s eyes. They were extremely close. Neither of them could find anything more interesting in the room to look at. But as their staring contest progressed, Amity began to close her eyes. Luz noticed their faces were getting closer, she realized that Amity was leaning in. She knew what was about to happen, but that still couldn’t prepare her for it. Luz’s heart was beating faster than a jack hammer. She was staring in awe. She had never kissed anyone before. She was so nervous, but she didn’t back away. She held her breath, and closed her eyes. Their lips met.

They held the kiss for a few seconds. When they pulled apart, Luz smiled widely, and Amity followed suit. When Amity smiled however, her lip cracked and began to bleed a tiny bit. 

“Oh my gosh! Oh no! Did I do that, I’m sorry, I’ve never kissed anyone before!” Luz began to panic. 

“No no, it’s just really cold.” Amity said, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Hang tight! I gotcha!” Luz ran to the bathroom to get some toilet paper for the wound.

It was a little awkward, but the two would later laugh it off. Before the night ended they would manage to sneak in a few more kisses. It was a night that neither of them would ever forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This fic is far from over

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I’ve ever written a fanfic for anything ever. I can’t help it, I just love this show. Any comments would be appreciated so please let me know what you all think! I have no idea how many chapters I’m gonna write, but I plan on writing one every week. Maybe one every two weeks if they start getting longer. Anyway I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!


End file.
